The Beehive by Megan Daley, illustrated by Max Hamilton

Title: The Beehive

Author: Megan Daley, illustrated by Max Hamilton

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Published: 1^st February 2024

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $26.99

Synopsis: An amazing look into the native stingless bee, the heroes of pollination, from celebrated teacher librarian and author Megan Daley and CBCA Award winning illustrator Maxine Hamilton.

It’s finally hive day! Willow has been waiting all year for groundskeeper Tom to split the school’s native stingless beehive in two so she can take home her very own hive. Everything needs to be just right to help so that the bees forage and thrive in their new home.

The dual text results in a charming story alongside an abundance of fascinating facts about Australia’s native bees.

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Superstar teacher-librarian and co-host of the fantastic podcast, Your Kid’s Next Read, Megan Daley has created her first picture book about beehives and the importance of bees. The books has a dual text – the first part of the text is Willow’s story as she waits for the beehive to be split in two so she can take one home. The other is non-fiction, teaching readers about bees, their hives, and the types of bees in Australia that contribute to the environment.

Megan’s creative and informative words are accompanied by beautiful illustrations from Maxine Hamilton, showing Willow and her exploration of bees, their world, and the patience Willow showed before she got her beehive to take home. The story is fun and informative, coupling Willow’s story with fascinating information about hives, European Honeybees and Native Stingless Bees, as well as fun facts about how many bee species there are in Australia. Megan’s book also includes a blended family – Willow and her stepfather, showing that there are many ways to be a family in Australia.

Everything in this story is beautiful, with a unique voice that shines on the page, dancing its way around each word and image as the story and facts come together to create a book that readers of all ages will enjoy and find engaging. It is also bright and colourful, exactly as a book about bees should be as it celebrates nature and the natural world, and what it can give us. I loved that it spoke about how important bees are whilst also being entertaining and accessible, ensuring that the layers of understanding are there for a wide range of readers. It is the kind of book that can be enjoyed at home or in an educational setting, where it can be used in many ways throughout a school to introduce conservation or discuss it with specific examples. Megan has also included a handy index and glossary at the back to help with the educational side of things.

This book is a wonderful educational resource and one that people will enjoy for fun as well. Megan has put her world and her love into this book, and it shows through every word on every page, and I am sure it will become a favourite.